The last Annual General Meeting was held on Monday the 27th March, 2017 in the Conference Hall of Dt. GHS, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi.

Dr. L.S. Chauhan, Vice Chairman welcomed the participants to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Tuberculosis Association of India and stated that this meeting provides us a platform where we discuss our achievements of the past year and also re-dedicate ourselves for achieving the set goals. On this occasion we also ponder over shortcomings, if any, and together resolve to rectify them. Dr. Jagdish Prasad, DGHS and Chairman, TAI, has always encouraged us to adopt innovative measures to achieve greater results towards alleviating the menace of tuberculosis. He has always taken some time out of his very busy schedule as Director General of Health Services, Government of India, to guide and support TAI in its commitments for TB control activities across the country. Dr. Chauhan thanked Shri Gopal Shetti, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for sparing his valuable time out of his very busy schedule and attending the meeting.

Dr.Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services, Government of India and Chairman TAI presented the Annual Report of the Association for the year 2015-16. In his address to the Annual General Meeting of the Tuberculosis Association of India, the Chairman stated that the Association is the main non-governmental organisation engaged in control of tuberculosis for over 77 years and has been supplementing the efforts of Government of India’s RNTCP programme in a big way.

He further stated that the Annual Report of the Association for the year 2015-16 is in your hand and I presume that you have gone through it. However I would like to share with you some of the important developments taking place in the field of prevention and cure of tuberculosis. As you know India has the highest TB burden in the world with estimated 2.8 million new cases every year, it accounts for one fifth of the global incidence. For a curable and preventable disease like TB to be causing so much suffering is a matter of great concern for all of us. Tuberculosis is affecting people from all walks of life but is impacting India’s poorest the most. The statistics have shown that the best productive age group i.e. 15-54 years is most affected by it impacting household income of the patient and the National economy also. India’s quest for TB reduction and cure is further jolted with the growing number of MDR and XDR forms of TB. These forms of tuberculosis are difficult to diagnose and very costly to cure.

The Chairman informed the members that The National Strategic Plan 2012-17 envisage achieving a “TB Free India”, with a goal to achieve a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while working towards elimination of TB in India by 2025. The Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) launched in 1997 has shown good impact in reducing TB deaths but the TB epidemic has persisted. The programme faces challenges due to delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment, lack of engagement of the private sector, undernourishment and so on.

With this overall scenario, the role of non-governmental organisations like Tuberculosis Association of India becomes all the more significant and vital. The Association has its associates in almost all the States. They have to be geared-up to play a more pro-active role in helping the Government in achieving the set goals.

The Chairman advised the Deputy Director General (TB) to instruct all the STO /DTOs to associate the TAI functionaries in all their anti-TB programs. Where ever they hold any meeting or conduct any activity, the State TAI functionary should be invited and actively involved in the tirade towards eradicating TB.

The Association and or its States associates should adopt a district or a specified slum pocket therein and help at least in supplementing the nutritional needs of the TB patients in collaboration with the respective STO/DTO’s.

The Chairman emphasized that as the financial position of the Association as you have seen in the budget, have improved, we must chanalise good part of the income towards genuine TB eradication activities.

Dr. V. K. Arora, Honorary Treasurer presented the audited accounts of the Association for the year 2015-16.

The Secretary General announces the various awards. He said “the Association generally gives awards and recognitions on two occasions every year. One during the National Conference on Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (NATCON) and other during the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The awards are a means of setting in a sense of healthy competition for the individuals and institutions to do still better. These serve an encouragement to individuals and State affiliates to put more efforts in their work towards achieving the ultimate aim of eradicating TB”.